Assets of cooking

I get asked a lot of questions about cooking. It's part of being a Chef and I think it's wonderful people are taking pride in their diets and cooking. One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, "How can I make good fried chicken?" The most common problem people have with frying chicken is it is cooked on the outside but not on the inside -- and this is a problem if it happens. As a matter-of-fact, if you eat raw chicken there is a very good chance you will end up in an emergency room!
The secret to perfect fried chicken everytime is the pan, or to be even more precise, it is the lid of the pan!
Here is the breakdown of cooking fried chicken: First you bring the oil (corn or safflower oil is the best) to about 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer over medium high heat (this is important). After you have dredged the chicken with flour, spices and herbs, you carefully place the chicken, skin-side down into the pan and fry it 5 minutes per side.
Next you lower the heat to low (once again, very important). You turn the chicken over where it is once again skin-side down and you PUT A LID ON THE PAN. Fry the chicken this way for 10 minutes, turn the chicken over, PUT THE LID BACK ON THE PAN, and fry it an additional 10 minutes.
This is what is happening with the cooking process. The initial frying of the chicken over the medium high heat is browning the chicken and with the help of the dredging, it is closing the pores of the chicken so you will have moist meat. It is NOT cooking the chicken.
The second phase of the cooking, over low heat and with the lid on the pan, is actually cooking the chicken. Once you put the lid on the pan, the heat inside the pan becomes intense (even though it is on low). All the heat and steam which would otherwise be escaping the pan without the lid, is being redirected back into the pan by the lid. Due to the close proximity of the lid and the chicken, you have the intense heat which is enveloping every inch of the chicken.
Follow these simple rules and you will have perfect fried chicken everytime!
Now, as far as the taste of the fried chicken, there are a few tips to make it special. You can make southern fried chicken, which is soaking the chicken for about 2 hours in buttermilk and then dredging the chicken in flour and spices before cooking it.
During one of my trips to South America I had fried chicken which was first rubbed all over with raspberry vinegar and left to marinate for 1 hour. The cook then dredged it with a flour mixture and fried it. This was possibly the most tender and moist fried chicken I have ever eaten. The acidity of the vinegar broke down the fibers of the chicken and the meat almost melted in my mouth (and the skin, with its hints of raspberyy vinegar and the spices, was nothing short of fabulous!).
So in the future forget about that sludge from the Colonel or the grease-dripping deep-fried heart attack from the supermarkets and simply make your own fried chicken. And don't forget, cold fried chicken (meaning leftovers, if you have any) is just as good and makes a wonderful lunch to take to work.